Sweet Home Colorado (The O'Malley Men) (12 page)

“You will,” Lucy said, looking far too pleased. She slurped the
last of her milk shake. “Harley and Suze would love to meet you. Carly, of
course, you already know. And once word gets out, I don’t see any problems
filling the other rooms.”

Grace liked Lucy and liked her energy and enthusiasm. With
friends like her, Sally and the O’Malley women, she could almost see herself
settling in Spruce Lake. And perhaps even being happy here.

* * *

H
AVING
LEFT
L
UCY
with the task of arranging meetings with the relevant
authorities, Grace walked through the front gate and up the porch steps, deep in
thought. So deep, in fact, that she slammed smack into Will O’Malley as he came
out the door. He grabbed her arms before she fell backward.

“Whoa there!” he said. “Where have you been all day? I hear
Tyrone’s fingers are sanded to the bone.”

Grace laughed and offered her cheek for a kiss. Lily was in a
toddler carrier strapped to his back. She held out her hand and Grace smooched
it, making noises that had the toddler giggling. Then she felt a wet tongue on
her leg and looked down. A dog that was mostly black Labrador gazed adoringly up
at her, then wagged her tail and rubbed her face against Grace’s leg.

“Hello,” Grace said, kneeling to pet her. “What’s your name,
girl?” The dog tried to lick her face and Grace leaned back. She loved dogs but
wasn’t fond of doggie kisses.

“How’d you know Millie was a girl?” Will asked.

“The pink scarf around her neck? The fact that she has teats,
meaning she’s nursing or has recently weaned a litter?” Grace said as she stood.
Millie continued to lean against her.

“She your dog?” Grace asked.

“Nope, she’s yours,” Will said, handing the leash to her.

“Mine?” Grace knew Will was a little eccentric, so she played
along.

“Millie’s puppies have all been adopted from the animal shelter
and she needs a loving home now.”

“And naturally your first sucker was me?”

“Yup. First and only.”

“That’s pretty presumptuous of you.”

Will held up a hand as if taking the oath. “Guilty as
charged.”

“She has three legs.”

“You noticed that, too?”

Will was incorrigible. Grace couldn’t help smiling. “What I
mean is, if she has three legs, then someone must’ve loved her enough to pay for
the surgery.”

Will shook his head. “She was found beside the highway—we think
she was dumped because she was pregnant. And she probably got hit by a car
because her front leg was so badly mangled it had to be removed.”

“We?”

“The animal shelter and me.”

“You found her?”

“Yup. Since Becky wasn’t partial to having another dog in the
house—we’ve already got two—I took her to the shelter, paid for the operation
and promised to find homes for her and the pups.”

Grace shook her head. Will really did have a heart of gold.
Tears burned her eyes at the thought that others could be so unkind to animals.
To hide them, she knelt so her face was at Millie’s level. This time, she
allowed the dog to lick her. Then, feeling overwhelmed with emotion, she hugged
the dog to her, burying her face in the soft black fur. Millie whimpered and
leaned even closer to Grace.

“I’m not sure Mrs. C. would let me keep her in the apartment,”
Grace said into Millie’s coat, hiding the catch in her voice. And trying for one
last feeble excuse not to complicate her life by allowing an animal into it.

“Not a problem! In fact, she’s offered to take Millie for walks
if you can’t get home at lunchtime.”

Grace stood and looked into Will’s eyes. They were completely
guileless. “You have it all figured out, don’t you? Ever since I came into town,
you had me earmarked for Millie.”

Will shrugged. “What can I say? You’re perfectly matched.”

“I’m not missing a leg.”

“True. But you both need someone to love.”

Grace could feel the tears again. They spilled out and ran down
her cheeks.

“Come here,” Will said, dragging her into his arms and against
his broad chest. “You’re not alone anymore, Grace. You have Millie and all of us
O’Malleys and anyone who’s met you in this town.”

Grace half laughed, half sobbed as she asked, “Even Loosie
Lettie and Jamie the Jerk?”

He rubbed her back. “Only if you want them. Although I have to
say, they
are
two people who aren’t exactly singing
your prais—”

“Hey!”

Jack’s shout had them jumping apart. He marched up to Will and
said, “Get your hands off my girlfriend.”

His possessiveness both thrilled and alarmed Grace and then she
saw that he was joking.

“Your
girlfriend
was just thanking
me for Millie.” Will indicated the dog who hadn’t moved from Grace’s feet.

“Stop talking about me as if I’m not here!” she protested.

Jack bent down to ruffle Millie’s ears. “So you’ve agreed to
adopt her, have you?”

“I have,” she said, and looked up at Will. “One thing, has she
been spayed?”

“She’s booked for next week. Bit cruel to have her in stitches
while she was still nursing.”

“Agreed. So you’ll let me know when and where?”

Will beamed and Grace suspected he hadn’t been one hundred
percent sure until just then that Millie had found a home.

She glanced at Jack. “What a shame I can’t stay and sand the
railings some more. I have to go to the supermarket and get food and a bowl and
a dog bed for Millie. Bye,” she said, twinkling her fingers at the two men and
heading down the stairs, Millie at her heels. It was as though the dog
knew
she belonged to Grace now.

“Here, catch!” Jack called, and tossed Betsy’s keys to Grace.
She caught them neatly, then bent to grab Millie’s leash as it trailed along the
path. “Thanks,” she said. “You can pick Betsy up at my place later. I’ll be too
busy with Millie to come here again today.”

She saw Jack grin as she turned away. Feeling happier than she
had in a long time, Grace practically skipped down the street to Betsy. She
opened the passenger door and gave Millie a boost in. Millie gazed longingly out
the window at Grace, who climbed in and ruffled the dog’s furry neck. “You and I
are going to be a great pair, Millie,” she said.

Millie rewarded her by licking her hand, then peered out the
windshield as if looking forward to a new adventure with her new mistress.

* * *

G
RACE
ARRIVED
HOME
with a bit more than she’d
intended to buy. When she’d set off from Aunt Missy’s, she figured she’d be able
to carry home a bag of kibble, a dog bed and a bowl from the supermarket. It was
just as well that Jack had lent her his truck, she thought as she lifted Millie
out, then reached in for the goodies she’d purchased. Millie waited patiently
while Grace unloaded the bags, then turned toward the stairs leading up to the
apartment. Millie hopped up the steps beside her, clearly determined not to be
left behind.

When Grace let herself and Millie into the apartment, she
looked down at the dog, who stood uncertainly on the threshold. “This is your
home now, Millie. Come on!”

Wagging her tail, Millie raced inside and inspected her new
lodgings, sniffing the furniture as Grace wrestled the bags into the living room
and dumped them on the floor. Millie sat at her feet and studied Grace
expectantly. Grace patted the sofa beside her and Millie jumped up, settled
herself with her nose resting on Grace’s leg and watched as she unpacked the
bags.

“Here’s your water bowl,” Grace said, showing the shiny bowl to
Millie. Millie sniffed it and wagged her tail. “And here’s your food bowl.” The
action was repeated by Millie, who was then plied with all manner of chew toys,
throw toys, squeaking toys, snuggle toys and a supply of poop bags.

Finally, Grace pulled out a collar. On it, she fastened a
diamante-encrusted tag displaying Millie’s name and Grace’s cell number, along
with a charm depicting Saint Francis—patron saint of animals. Grace then buckled
the collar around Millie’s neck, leaving the pink scarf in place, as well.

“There! Now you’re all set to go out into the world!” Grace
said. “Shall we go play ball in the park?”

The words
park
and
ball
obviously resonated with Millie, who jumped off
the sofa and trotted to the door.

“Just a minute, Millie. I need to take care of these groceries
and then I’ll be with you.” In the kitchen, Grace put the fillet steaks, which
she’d bought to grill on her balcony, in the fridge, as well as salad fixings
and some beer. She hadn’t yet asked Jack if he wanted to join her for dinner,
but that wasn’t a problem. If he couldn’t make it, then Millie could have his
share of the steak!

* * *

“S
O
WHAT
DO
YOU
think of converting the house to
a medical center?” Grace asked as she prepared a salad to go with the steaks
Jack was grilling.

“A renovation is a renovation. Might cost you a few pennies
more, though,” Jack said, leaning on the door frame leading to the balcony. The
sun was setting behind him, the sky’s colors glowing around him like an aura.
The only jarring note was the pair of tongs he held, ready to turn the
steaks.

Before grilling them, Grace had cut her steak in half to share
with Millie, much to Jack’s amusement. “Bet she didn’t get fillet in the pound,”
he said as Grace cut the steak into smaller pieces and put it in Millie’s bowl.
The dog, of course, pounced on the treat and practically inhaled it. Then she
looked around for more.

“Sorry. One steak per night,” Grace told her, filling her bowl
with a measured amount of kibble.

“You’re a natural with her,” Jack said. “Yet I don’t recall you
ever saying you had a dog growing up.”

“I didn’t.” Grace stood and washed her hands at the sink. “But
I always wanted one.”

“You and your ex didn’t have any pets?”

Grace made a face and said, “Please, can we not spoil a
beautiful evening?”

“I’m just trying to find out more about you.”

Which was exactly what Grace
didn’t
want. “There’s nothing to tell. Nothing worthwhile, anyway. So let’s change the
subject.” Salad ready, she grabbed a glass of iced tea and joined Jack on the
balcony. The smell of grilling steak filled the air. “I’m starving!” she said,
and flopped into a deck chair. “Manual labor gives me an appetite.”

“In which case, Tyrone should be eating up a storm tonight,”
Jack said, and laughed.

“You heard about that, did you?”

“Apart from the fact that I saw him working on the railings, I
would’ve been able to tell from the finish that you sure hadn’t done them,” he
teased.

“Oh, you think you’re so smart!” Grace said, punching his arm
lightly. “I’m officially quitting as a laborer on that project and taking on
other duties instead.”

“Which are?”

“Lucy’s got us an appointment at the mayor’s office in the
morning. If we get the go-ahead, then I’ll be tied up preparing permits and
everything, so I won’t have time to sand railings. Okay?”

She finished the last sentence on a challenging note, daring
Jack to disagree.

He held up his hands. “Fine by me. You were taking too long to
learn, anyway. And I didn’t want your pretty little fingers near the electric
saws.”

“I’m getting a manicure in the morning and I’m
never
touching another tool. Deal?”

Jack beamed at her. “Deal.”

They ate their salads outside, watching the last of the rays
disappear behind the mountains. The evening started to chill quickly once the
sunlight was gone. Grace got herself a sweater. She offered Jack a blanket but
he shook his head and checked the steaks. “I think they’re done,” he said, and
lifted them onto a plate to take inside.

Millie was curled up on her new bed, fast asleep. But when she
got a whiff of the meat, her head rose and she looked around.

“Go back to sleep, sweetie,” Grace said. “These are for the
humans.”

The dog stared as if waiting for her to change her mind.
Realizing Grace wasn’t going to, she put her head down on top of a cuddle toy
she particularly liked—a bright yellow chicken covered in a soft furlike
material. It surprised Grace, because it looked so unlike a puppy. But Millie
seemed to like it, as she settled her nose over the chicken and went back to
sleep.

* * *

J
ACK
PLACED
THE
FILLETS
on their
plates, along with a baked potato each, then they sat at the small kitchen table
to eat.

“These steaks are incredibly tender,” Grace noted.

“Probably came from Two Elk,” Jack said. “You don’t have to buy
them at the supermarket, you know. Pop will give you as much as you want.”

“I’m sure he would, but I prefer to do it this way. I don’t
like taking charity.”

“It wouldn’t be charity. You’re almost one of the family,” Jack
said, then seeing Grace’s look of alarm, he shut up.

He couldn’t believe how hard it was to coax Grace to open up
about herself, what her life in Boston had been like, the experiences she’d had.
He cast around for something else to talk about. Since Grace seemed enthusiastic
about the medical center, he stuck to that topic.

But he intended to get the truth out of Grace. He just wasn’t
sure how to go about it yet.

Chapter Seventeen

Grace took care in dressing for her appointment with
the mayor the following morning.

Having never met the eccentric Frank Farquar, she wasn’t sure
exactly how to present herself, but in the end decided on a navy shirtdress and
sensible flat pumps. Satisfied she looked businesslike—without risking her
Christian Louboutin heels on the cracked sidewalks—she said goodbye to Millie
and popped into Mrs. C.’s to let her know she’d be out for a few hours, then
headed in the direction of town hall.

Lucy was already there, waiting nervously with Beth
O’Malley.

“Hey, Grace!” Lucy greeted her. “I hope you don’t mind, but I
invited Beth along. Since she’s an architect, I thought she could give us a few
pointers on redesigning the interior, and the mayor is kind of sweet on her, so
every bit helps!”

“Of course I don’t mind Beth being here, too,” Grace assured
her, and turned to Beth. “Thanks for joining us.”

Grace didn’t know Matt’s wife very well. Beth exuded a cool
confidence. She was tall, blond, blue-eyed and soft-spoken, but Grace detected a
sharp intelligence beneath her serene exterior.

“I’m delighted to have been asked, Grace.” She glanced at her
watch. “Shall we go in? It’s almost nine.”

Grace noticed that Beth had a folder under her arm—the type
that held large documents. She was curious about what was inside.

They were shown into a large room lined with cherrywood. At the
end was a long table where three men sat. They rose from their chairs when
introduced. The mayor was flanked by the town manager and the town planner. They
didn’t seem as intimidating as Grace had expected. As the meeting progressed,
and especially when Beth produced three sets of blueprints of the new clinic and
handed one to each man, they seemed very receptive to the idea.

Grace was more than a little surprised to see the plans labeled
Saunders Medical Center. She was about to protest, when she saw the notation
beneath— “Opened in loving memory of Amelia (Missy) Saunders, 1916–2006.”

The mayor then waxed lyrical about his experiences as a boy
growing up and his memories of Missy. Grace found them fascinating, an insight
into a beloved great-aunt she really knew little about. The town planner and
manager, however, looked bored.

Grace decided she needed to move things along so suggested,
“Mayor Farquar, this is so interesting to me. Could I take you to lunch today so
I can find out more about my aunt Missy?”

After the mayor had accepted her invitation, the planner spent
some time explaining the types of permits they needed to apply for, while the
manager took a closer look at the blueprints and made some notes. All in all,
Grace felt the meeting was going well, particularly when the manager said that
the vacant lot behind the house was owned by the town and they’d be willing to
lease it for parking. Furthermore, the planner added that he didn’t see any
reason the sidewalk couldn’t be torn up, since it was in such a degraded
condition—and a new sidewalk and an angle parking area could be created in front
of the house!

An hour later, the three women stumbled out into the bright
sunlight, bubbling with excitement. They high-fived one another. “You were
fantastic!” Grace told Beth. “When did you draw up those floor plans?”

“Last night. I stopped by the house, took some measurements and
spent a few hours working on them. With architectural software it’s easy.”

“But still, they’re so detailed. I think the manager had
blueprint envy.”

Beth laughed. “I simply thought it would help our case if they
had something concrete to look at.”

“Which it did,” Lucy pointed out. “However, there are a lot
more hoops to jump through than I realized. This could take longer than
expected, filling and filing all those forms.”

“I quit as a laborer, so I have time on my hands,” Grace said.
“I’m good at dotting
i
’s and crossing
t
’s. And besides, if it’s going to be my project, I
should be doing the paperwork.”

“Great!” Lucy and Beth said at once.

“I’m more than happy to give all of that to you, Grace,” Lucy
said, and checked her watch. “But I have to head over to Silver Springs right
now. My clinic starts at the hospital in half an hour.” She kissed Grace and
Beth goodbye.

“I’m really impressed with those plans,” Grace told Beth. “Do
you mind if I have a copy to go over when it’s not so hectic?”

“Of course.” Beth opened the folder and drew out a set of
blueprints for Grace. “Now, I have to run. The sheriff is minding our little
cherub this morning,” she said. “Matt was catching up on paperwork this morning,
anyway, so he said he’d watch her while I came to the meeting.” She placed a
hand on Grace’s arm. “I wish I could join you and the mayor for lunch. Can you
and I reschedule for another day?”

“Of course!” Grace smiled. “But I’m running late, too—for a
manicure,” she said, showing her nails to Beth.

“Ugh!” Beth said. “Just as well you quit working on the house.
Otherwise, you’d have no nails left.”

“Agreed. And I much prefer paperwork. I have to confess I’m
kind of glad Lucy came up with this idea. I’m so excited about it. I may even
stay in Spruce Lake....”

“I was hoping you’d say that!” Beth said. “Does Jack know?”

Grace realized she’d revealed too much, particularly to someone
who was close to Jack. “I’m sorry,” she said. “Would you mind keeping that to
yourself? I’m at a bit of a crossroads in my life, not sure where I want to
live, where I want to practice.... I hate feeling like this, but I can’t seem to
shake it.” Not only that, Grace had been receiving insistent emails from the
clinic in Boston. She couldn’t make a decision about moving to Spruce Lake for
good without considering all the ramifications.

“I’m no counselor,” Beth said. “But I’m a good listener. If you
want to talk about it, call me, okay?” She stopped beside her car. “Can I give
you a ride? Are you going to Patty’s?”

“I am,” Grace confirmed.

“Then hop in and I’ll have you there in no time!”

* * *

G
RACE
WAVED
TO
B
ETH
as she drove off toward the sheriff’s department.
Nice
person,
she thought as she turned into Patty’s Parlor.

Grace was so happy with her manicure—that Patty could resurrect
her nails was truly miraculous in Grace’s eyes—she stayed for a pedicure, as
well. Feeling like a new woman, she walked the couple of blocks to Rusty’s and
pushed her way through the front door.

Mayor Farquar was already there, sitting in a booth so he
wouldn’t miss her as she walked inside. He looked ready for action, too. His
napkin was tucked into his collar and he was drinking a beer.

“Now, little lady, what can I order you to drink?” he asked,
standing until Grace settled herself in the opposite seat and calling over a
waiter.

“A lemonade,” she told him, and then turned her gaze on Mayor
Farquar. She’d heard of him, of course, when she was a teenager, but at that
time Frank had lived outside town at the quarry he owned. An eccentric bachelor.
Since Grace had left, Frank had acquired a pet pig and a wife. In that order.
Rumor had it he was fonder of his pig than his wife. Grace, having met Mrs. C.,
didn’t believe a word of it.

“The wife tells me she’s walking your dog today,” he said.

Grace brightened. “Yes, she is. Mrs. Carmi—er, Farquar was so
kind to offer.”

“’S’okay, you can call her Mrs. C. I’m a modern man. I can
understand she was a Carmichael longer than she’s been a Farquar.”

This was eye-opening news for Grace. She’d categorized the
mayor as a bit of a good ol’ boy who probably thought women belonged in the home
and should obey their husbands without question.

“So,” she said, leaning her forearms on the table, “tell me all
you know about my great-aunt Missy. I was a selfish teen when we lived with her
and never really recognized her significance to this town until recently.”

The waiter returned and they ordered—a double bacon burger with
a side of fries and another of onion rings for him, a grilled chicken Caesar
salad for her. She should probably have a little chat with Frank about his diet,
but now wasn’t the time. Perhaps when they were better friends, she’d ask him to
make an appointment to see her at the new clinic. The realization that she was
making plans for her future shocked Grace a little.

“Missy was born right there in that house of yours, way back in
1916,” Frank said, breaking into her thoughts.

“I’d heard that,” Grace said. “But I don’t have any photographs
of her growing up there. I asked her about it once and she said they were all
burned.”

“That’s a darned shame,” Mayor Farquar said, “because they’d
make a wonderful contribution to the town’s archives. We now have a heritage
museum on Main Street in the old Methodist church Jack and his brother Will own.
They let us use it rent-free.”

“Not only am I clueless about my great-aunt Missy, but I don’t
know much about the properties Jack owns, either,” Grace said.

“You gonna marry that boy?”

Stunned by his candor, Grace took a moment to answer. “No.”

He shook his head. “That boy needs a wife. Someone who’s his
equal. Unless you don’t think he’s
your
equal, you
bein’ a big-city doctor an’ all.”

“No, of course I don’t feel I’m better than Jack! Whatever gave
you that idea?” Grace leaned back to make room for their plates. She felt sick
looking at Frank’s, piled with grease.

“Mayor Farquar—”

“Call me Frank, honey,” he said, picking up his fork and
digging into his fries.

“Frank, then. I need to be frank with you, Frank.”

The older man looked up at her and grinned. “If I had a dollar
for every time someone’s said that, and then not been so frank, I’d be a
millionaire.”

From what Grace had heard, Frank Farquar
was
a millionaire. Several times over, thanks to rocks.

“Okay, then I’ll be more than frank, Frank,” she said with a
smile to lessen what she had to say next. “As a doctor, I’m going to be brutally
honest. You are a heart attack waiting to happen. You’re overweight, you’re
wheezing just sitting down and now you’re stuffing your face with pure
grease.”

Frank halted, the fatty burger halfway to his mouth, and put it
back on his plate. His eyes narrowed. Maybe she’d overstepped her bounds. Grace
had dealt with overweight children, but they were overweight because the parents
couldn’t say no to their little darlings and let them eat what they wanted.
Especially candy. She’d practiced tough love on both the parents and the
children, but Frank was much older, a person of standing in his community. He
probably wasn’t used to being spoken to in such harsh terms. An alarming thought
crossed Grace’s mind. Maybe, by speaking out, she’d sabotaged the medical
center. What would she say to Lucy?

Frank finally responded. “Is that so, little lady?”

Grace swallowed, compelled to tell him the truth. “I’m afraid
it is. I’m very concerned that if you continue eating this sort of food and not
exercise, one day you’re going to wake up dead! And it’ll be no one’s fault but
your own.”

“I see,” he said, eyeing the chicken in Grace’s salad. “You’re
sounding like my wife. She’s a real nag.”

“Has it done any good?”

“’Course not! She’s not a doctor. What would she know?”

So much for thinking Frank was a liberated man.

“She feeds me cardboard for breakfast and nothing tasty for
dinner. I’m dying of food boredom!”

“Better that than of coronary artery disease,” Grace snapped
back, not in the least intimidated by his lamentations about his wife. “By
cardboard, I assume you mean granola?”

Frank nodded.

“Unsweetened?”

“Yup.”

“Do you have coffee for breakfast, as well?”

“Two cups. She won’t let me have sugar or cream. She’s thrown
them out of the house.”

“Good!”

“So I have extra when I get to the office.”

Grace’s shoulders slumped. “That’s not how it works,
Frank.”

The poor man was still eyeing her chicken. Grace pushed her
plate between them—the cruelest, unhealthiest thing to do to people trying to
lose weight was to deprive them completely of food. “You may share my salad,
Frank. And you and I are going to have a nice, long talk about your health,
okay?”

She signaled the waiter to come and remove Frank’s lunch. And
the remainder of his beer. She then ordered a glass of water for him, since he
didn’t already have one.

Grace had never seen anyone look so dejected. “I’m sorry,
Frank, but this is for your own good. What would Louella do without you?”

“My wife would have her turned into bacon.”

Grace doubted that, but she knew Louella and Mrs. C. were not
friends. “Then it’s up to you to make sure that doesn’t happen!” Grace leaned
over the table, closer to Frank. “Are you willing to work with me on this?” she
asked.

“Will I be hungry?”

“Not if I can help it. But you also won’t be eating any
artery-clogging crap, okay?”

Frank looked at her in a way that made Grace fear he’d refuse
her advice. Finally, he nodded.

“Good!” she said. “First thing after lunch, I’m going to run a
few tests on you.”

“How you gonna do that?” he asked, smirking as if he had an
excuse to delay the inevitable.

“I’m sure Lucy Cochrane would let me use her equipment at the
maternity clinic.”

“The maternity clinic! I’m not going there. It’s full of
pregnant women!”

Grace was unmoved. “No kidding. And most of them weigh far less
than you do. So suck it up.”

Frank had not only polished off the chicken in her salad, but
also the lettuce and anchovies—Grace loved anchovies and now she was miffed she
hadn’t snaffled them for herself before deciding to share. She signaled for the
check.